Taxpayers will pick up tab for costs not covered by FEMA

10:02 AM,
Nov. 19, 2012

Morristown, NJ-- October 30, 2012--Paul Canavan of Parsippany walks down Wetmore Avenue in Morristown, NJ assessing damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Canavan own two properties in the neighborhood. Bob Karp/Staff Photographer/DAILY RECORD

Written by

Bob Jordan | @bobjordanAPP

Towns budget for police coverage, road repairs and other essentials. But there's no line item for a natural disaster. That's why Sandy has become a superstorm on municipal finances.

After all, who in Keansburg could have guessed the police station would be in ruins from six feet of flood water? Relocating to a temporary site is costing $500,000. The price to build a new headq uarters is estimated at $2 million.

"The bills from this storm are endless," said Keansburg Mayor George Hoff, who expects the tab for debris removal alone to hit $1.3 million. ...